The RotoWire 200: Overall Rankings For Roto Leagues

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Updated on September 15, 2011 2:57PM EST

The RotoWire 200

This list is a set of overall rankings derived from RotoWire's projections and our Roto Rankings tool. All positions listed are those in our database - given how the shifting nature of hockey positions, please make check on your league's (and site provider's) positional settings - they may differ, raising or lowering the value of certain forwards. This list is based on 12-team roto leagues, using the following categories: goals, assists, power play points, plus/minus, penalty minutes (as a positive) and shots on goal for skaters; wins, shutouts, goals against average and save percentage for goalies - this is the most standard format used by our partners at Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. Obviously, you should use our Roto Rankings tool for different categories in your roto league, or our Projected Points tool for points-based leagues. Finally, these rankings presume the following positions used - 2 C's, 2 LW's, 2 RW's, 4 D's, 2 G's, and four reserves. Obviously, there's going to be a ton of good centers that go undrafted or get downgraded severely in this format.

RANK	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	POS	TEAM	NOTE

1	Alex	Ovechkin	LW	WAS	Ovie's "team-first" approach didn't win many fantasy championships last season, but at the end of the day he's still the safest bet for monster production.
2	Steven	Stamkos	C	TAM	Does Stamkos have another level to reach?
3	Corey	Perry	RW	ANA	Perry's penalty mintues put him ahead of pure scorers like Daniel Sedin.
4	Daniel

The RotoWire 200

RANK	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	POS	TEAM	NOTE

1	Alex	Ovechkin	LW	WAS	Ovie's "team-first" approach didn't win many fantasy championships last season, but at the end of the day he's still the safest bet for monster production.
2	Steven	Stamkos	C	TAM	Does Stamkos have another level to reach?
3	Corey	Perry	RW	ANA	Perry's penalty mintues put him ahead of pure scorers like Daniel Sedin.
4	Daniel	Sedin	LW	VAN	Can he keep up a 100-point pace, or slide back into the mid-80's?
5	Jonathan	Toews	C	CHI	Still just 23 years old - should break the 80-point barrier this year.
6	Henrik	Sedin	C	VAN	If he can crack 25+ goals again, he'll earn this draft spot.
7	Henrik	Lundqvist	G	NYR	This ranking implies that you start two goalies each week - move all goalies out of the first round if you start just one.
8	Milan	Lucic	LW	BOS	Move Lucic significantly down if you don't count PIM's as a positive.
9	Pekka	Rinne	G	NAS	Workhorse goalie in a contract year.
10	Tomas	Vokoun	G	WAS	You won't have to pay this price, but what a great set-up he's stepping into.
11	Nicklas	Backstrom	C	WAS	Nobody got hurt more than Backstrom's owners by the team's overall drop in scoring - look for some recovery here.
12	Bobby	Ryan	RW	ANA	The next frontier for Ryan is more production on the man advantage.
13	Ilya	Bryzgalov	G	PHI	The Flyers got their prime-time goalie that they desired, for a pretty hefty price.
14	Zach	Parise	LW	NJD	Parise has reported no setbacks in recovering from his knee injuries.
15	Eric	Staal	C	CAR	Staal played the final three weeks last year with a groin injury.
16	Ryan	Miller	G	BUF	If you buy into Buffalo's offseason moves, you could put him higher without much argument.
17	Patrick	Kane	RW	CHI	Kane hopes to be back from his wrist injury in time for the preseason.
18	Jarome	Iginla	RW	CGY	The Flames might use youngster Mikael Backlund as his center.
19	Ryan	Kesler	C	VAN	Watch carefully as we approach opening night - you might have to discount Kesler due to his hip injury.
20	Martin	St. Louis	RW	TAM	Once again, league format matters - if PIM's aren't a category for you, St. Louis's value rises.
21	Tim	Thomas	G	BOS	Lower than the other elites only because he has a great backup.
22	Daniel	Briere	RW	PHI	Hopefully Briere's production doesn't get hurt by the shifting lines caused by the Carter and Richards trades.
23	Henrik	Zetterberg	C	DET	Made it back to a point-per-game level last season. Check your positions with Zetterberg, in some leagues he qualifies at LW.
24	Corey	Crawford	G	CHI	Look for the Blackhawks to bounce back big this year.
25	Roberto	Luongo	G	VAN	Like Thomas, Luongo has a pretty capable backup in Schneider, thus might play less than some of the other top goalies.
26	Sidney	Crosby	C	PIT	The ultimate high-risk, high-reward pick this year. Any sort of projection is a dart throw.
27	Alexander	Semin	LW	WAS	Semin was fool's gold last year, but it's conceivable he could bounce right back to his point-per-game level.
28	David	Backes	C	STL	Grades out much higher in a roto format where PIM's and Plus/Minus are categories.
29	Antti	Niemi	G	SAN	The Sharks made a few changes to give him more defensive help - he has a higher ceiling than this.
30	Patrick	Sharp	RW	CHI	Sharp's plus/minus should recover along with the team's fortunes this year.
31	Dany	Heatley	RW	MIN	What happens to Heatley's production in Minnesota?
32	Rick	Nash	LW	CLM	Is Nash ever going to have that breakthrough to be among the elite?
33	Marc-Andre	Fleury	G	PIT	Fleury did yeoman's work to carry the Penguins as far as they went last year.
34	Jeff	Carter	C	CLM	Columbus is counting on Carter to help lift Nash to greater heights.
35	Ryan	Getzlaf	C	ANA	We'd like to see Getzlaf shoot the puck more often.
36	John	Tavares	C	NYI	If you're in a league that doesn't count plus/minus, Tavares will rank much higher.
37	Mike	Green	D	WAS	Couldn't stay healthy last year and produced at a lower level when he was on the ice.
38	Joe	Thornton	C	SAN	Thornton might be asked to do more this year given the Sharks' offseason moves.
39	Zdeno	Chara	D	BOS	Chara gets a boost in leagues that count PIMs and plus/minus.
40	Matt	Duchene	C	COL	Coming off of a fantastic sophomore campaign.
41	Carey	Price	G	MON	Price had a nice redemption season after the Habs showed faith in him by trading away Halak.
42	Patrick	Marleau	C	SAN	Marleau rode the roller coaster in the playoffs last year.
43	Drew	Doughty	D	LAK	Watch out for Doughty's contract situation - a holdout is possible.
44	Alexandre	Burrows	RW	VAN	So much of his value is dependent on whether he plays the Sedins' line.
45	Evgeni	Malkin	C	PIT	Malkin will be coming back from a major knee injury, and might be doing it without Crosby.
46	Chris	Stewart	RW	STL	The Avs will regret giving up on Stewart so quickly after his hand injury.
47	Martin	Brodeur	G	NJD	Injuries, age, and most importantly, a lack of quality blueliners caught up to Brodeur last year.
48	Joe	Pavelski	LW	SAN	The trade of Heatley ensures that Pavelski will be a top-six forward for the Sharks.
49	Thomas	Vanek	LW	BUF	If the Sabres improve as many expect, Vanek's plus/minus might lurch forward.
50	Ilya	Kovalchuk	LW	NJD	Kovalchuk is captain of the Last Year's Bums team.
51	Dustin	Byfuglien	D	WPG	Our rankings presuppose that you only start four defensemen - if it's six or more, you'll have to start the blue line run earlier.
52	Shea	Weber	D	NAS	Weber also is entering a big contract year.
53	Jimmy	Howard	G	DET	Howard was much better in the playoffs, especially against San Jose, than in the regular season.
54	P.K.	Subban	D	MON	Gets headlines for his pest abilities, but he's becoming a force on the man advantage too.
55	Brad	Richards	C	NYR	A recurring theme from this list - a center gets downgraded in an overall list where you have to specify positions among forwards.
56	Jonas	Hiller	G	ANA	Hiller has been symptom-free from the vertigo that ended his season for the last two months.
57	Jonathan	Quick	G	LAK	Quick will hold off Jonathan Bernier for one more season, though he might play less frequently this season.
58	Vincent	Lecavalier	C	TAM	Lecavalier will play this season wearing a protective shield from his helmet.
59	Scott	Hartnell	RW	PHI	Hartnell has had 140+ penalty minutes each of the last four seasons.
60	Dan	Boyle	D	SAN	Boyle might not be the only Shark defenseman getting PP points this year, following the acquisition of Burns.
61	Brenden	Morrow	LW	DAL	How much will his production scale back without Brad Richards around?
62	Keith	Yandle	D	PHO	With more talent around him, Yandle could be a top-3 blueliner.
63	Jeffrey	Skinner	C	CAR	What will Skinner do for an encore in his sophomore season?
64	Claude	Giroux	RW	PHI	Giroux had his breakthrough last season - he might slide back some with Carter and Richards gone.
65	Cam	Ward	G	CAR	Ward led all goalies in starts and minutes played last season. That might change with Brian Boucher as his backup.
66	Pavel	Datsyuk	C	DET	Datsyuk's lower-than-expected ranking is a reflection of our concern about his wrist injury.
67	Duncan	Keith	D	CHI	Keith shot just 4.0 percent last year - he'll do better than that this year and top the 50-point threshold.
68	Kris	Letang	D	PIT	Letang really faded down the stretch last season - not having Crosby and Malkin around will do that.
69	David	Krejci	C	BOS	Krejci has a much higher ceiling than this - it's only that poolies might overrate him because of his playoff production.
70	Marian	Gaborik	LW	NYR	Gaborik's inability to stay on the ice prevents him from getting ranked higher.
71	Ryane	Clowe	LW	SAN	The Sharks need Clowe to be more than a nice secondary winger this season.
72	Paul	Stastny	C	COL	Stastny got caught up in the malaise of the Avs' second-half collapse, dropping from 79 points to 57.
73	Christian	Ehrhoff	D	BUF	Ehrhoff probably joins a much worse power play with the Sabres, though he'll shoulder more responsibility there.
74	Dustin	Brown	RW	LAK	With the additions of Mike Richards and Simon Gagne, the Kings can run out two scoring lines now.
75	Mike	Richards	C	LAK	Reunited with Simon Gagne, and will get significant power play time.
76	Nicklas	Lidstrom	D	DET	Who expected Lidstrom to outlast Brian Rafalski? Lidstrom's plus/minus nosedived last season.
77	Lubomir	Visnovsky	D	ANA	Visnovsky led all defensemen in points last season and is a safe bet for 50 points with the Ducks.
78	Johan	Franzen	RW	DET	Franzen tapered off badly at the end of the regular season last year.
79	Anze	Kopitar	C	LAK	Kopitar still has swelling whenever he skates stemming from the broken fibula that ended last season.
80	Dwayne	Roloson	G	TAM	Roloson probably won't play as much as other goaltenders on contending teams.
81	Patric	Hornqvist	RW	NAS	Hornqvist backslid a little last season after his breakout in 2009-10.
82	Phil	Kessel	LW	TOR	Will the signing of Tim Connolly be the spark that pushes Kessel to greater heights?
83	James	Neal	LW	PIT	Neal stands to benefit as much as anyone if Sidney Crosby can return to full form.
84	Loui	Eriksson	LW	DAL	Give Eriksson a healthy bump in leagues where plus/minus and PIM's aren't used.
85	Marian	Hossa	RW	CHI	Hossa probably has a ceiling of 75 points after hitting the 90-point level earlier in his career.
86	Dion	Phaneuf	D	TOR	Never really became the monster fantasy player we once thought he could become.
87	John	Carlson	D	WAS	Carlson tallied 37 points in his rookie year, just two years after he was drafted.
88	Brent	Burns	D	SAN	Burns might rank higher if he weren't second fiddle to Dan Boyle on the power play.
89	Miikaa	Kiprusoff	G	CGY	Kiprusoff gets hurt by his middling supporting cast.
90	Mikhail	Grabovski	C	TOR	Grabovski is currently the Leafs' second line center, but given Connolly's fragility, that could change quickly.
91	Steve	Downie	LW	TAM	One of these years Downie could string together a 50-point, 200-PIM season.
92	Justin	Williams	RW	LAK	Williams can join teammate Anze Kopitar on the rehab path.
93	Martin	Havlat	RW	SAN	Havlat won't be asked to do as much offensively, but his plus/minus should improve with the Sharks.
94	Brandon	Dubinsky	LW	NYR	Part of an emerging young core with the Rangers, now buoyed by the signing of Brad Richards.
95	Ryan	Whitney	D	EDM	Watch Whitney's ankle injury - his production last year was curtailed by a similar injury.
96	Chris	Pronger	D	PHI	Pronger had back surgery in the offseason - he won't be ready for the start of camp but still hopes to be ready by opening night.
97	Niklas	Kronwall	D	DET	Kronwall's responsibilities had already increased last season, but with Rafalski retired, the Wings will need even more from him.
98	Tyler	Ennis	C	BUF	Ennis will turn just 22 at the start of the season - expect some improvement, but not a giant leap like last year.
99	Jaroslav	Halak	G	STL	Halak found the going much tougher as the regular starter than as the favored backup.
100	James	Reimer	G	TOR	Reimer outpaced his junior-level rate stats last year - some decline could be reasonably expected this year.
101	Nathan	Horton	RW	BOS	Horton is symptom-free from the concussion that knocked him out of the Stanley Cup Final.
102	Shane	Doan	RW	PHO	Doan doesn't have much upside at this point, but he's still a solid producer.
103	James	van Riemsdyk	LW	PHI	The Flyers are counting on van Riemsdyk to take the leap this year - he'll skate with Claude Giroux this year.
104	Ryan	Callahan	RW	NYR	Callahan first broke out then broke his ankle - he appears to be good to go to start the season.
105	Erik	Cole	RW	MON	Now with the Habs, Cole should find himself on the first line with Plekanec and Cammalleri.
106	Niklas	Backstrom	G	MIN	Backstrom had a disturbing number of blow-up games last season.
107	Alex	Pietrangelo	D	STL	The Blues nurtured Pietrangelo along correctly. Now he won't be a surprise to anyone.
108	Alex	Goligoski	D	PIT	Goligoski racked up 15 points in 23 games after getting traded to the Stars.
109	Jamie	Benn	LW	DAL	Benn has a high ceiling - he may not get there this year, but 75+ points is in his DNA.
110	Craig	Anderson	G	OTT	Anderson really shined once he escaped Colorado. Which version is the real Anderson?
111	Tomas	Plekanec	C	MON	The addition of Erik Cole gives Plekanec a better winger to work with.
112	Logan	Couture	C	SAN	Couture had a pretty good argument for the Calder, though he was edged out by Jeff Skinner.
113	Brad	Boyes	RW	BUF	Boyes' disappearing act in the playoffs drew the ire of Sabres fans last season.
114	R.J.	Umberger	LW	CLM	Watch this preseason to see who Umberger skates with - if he drops to the third line, you'll have to discount him below this spot.
115	Jaromir	Jagr	RW	PHI	Jagr should get a vast majority of his production from the power play.
116	Jason	Pominville	LW	BUF	Pominville is trying to make it all the way back from a scary leg injury.
117	Mark	Streit	D	NYI	Trying to come back after missing the entire season last year with a shoulder injury.
118	Mark	Giordano	D	CGY	Giordano had 25 power play points last year.
119	Tyler	Myers	D	BUF	Myers recovered from a horrible start to finish with passable numbers. He should break 40 points if healthy.
120	Kari	Lehtonen	G	DAL	Lehtonen might be the last of the full-time goalies here, depending on your view of some of the timeshares remaining.
121	Drew	Stafford	RW	BUF	The Sabres gave Stafford a four-year commitment this offseason, counting on at least a repeat of last season.
122	Ondrej	Pavelec	G	WPG	Pavelec could be a good upside pick, though he'll have a tough time overcoming his team's weaknesses.
123	Andrew	Ladd	LW	WPG	Ladd probably is the Jets' best forward, but his plus/minus will cost you.
124	Joe	Corvo	D	BOS	Corvo replaces Tomas Kaberle on the Bruins' power play.
125	Brent	Seabrook	D	CHI	Seabrook racked up a career-high 48 points last year - will he retreat a little this year?
126	Erik	Karlsson	D	OTT	Karlsson was a whopping -30 last year - too bad, because his offensive game (45 points) is strong.
127	Ryan	Suter	D	NAS	The Preds' contractual logjam could come to a head with Suter - as a result, watch him closely around the trade deadline.
128	Kimmo	Timonen	D	PHI	Timonen is not a 50-point player any longer, but he's still reliable for 35+ points.
129	Jordan	Staal	C	PIT	If Crosby has to sit out significant time, the Pens will look at Staal to be far more than a third-line center.
130	Taylor	Hall	LW	EDM	The 2010 first overall draft pick had a credible rookie season - he could threaten to get 30 goals this year.
131	Nikolai	Kulemin	RW	TOR	Kulemin got to 30 goals last season - is there another step up for him?
132	Devan	Dubnyk	G	EDM	Dubnyk first has to win a job battle with Khabibulin before you take him in this spot, but he's the one with upside.
133	Mike	Ribeiro	C	DAL	Taking back over the top center duties with Richards gone.
134	Erik	Johnson	D	COL	The Avs invested a lot to get Johnson and hope he becomes their Chris Pronger.
135	Alexander	Edler	D	VAN	Needs to avoid the back injuries that sidelined him for two months. Edler also is recovering from two broken fingers.
136	Jack	Johnson	D	LAK	Johnson is an offense-minded defenseman on a team that's gearing up to be a higher scoring team.
137	Joni	Pitkanen	D	CAR	Pitkanen would rate higher if he stayed on the ice more - he has missed at least 10 games each of the last four seasons.
138	Zenon	Konopka	C	OTT	Get your goon points here!
139	Jose	Theodore	G	FLA	Theodore will keep the seat warm for Jacob Markstrom for at least the first half of the season.
140	Steve	Mason	G	CLM	This is a huge year for Mason, after two bad seasons in a row.
141	Alex	Tanguay	LW	CGY	Tanguay ought to offer to carry Jarome Iginla's bags on each road trip - playing with Iginla has made Tanguay much wealther.
142	Curtis	Glencross	LW	CGY	If the Flames ever open up their style of play, Glencross could benefit the most.
143	Brad	Marchand	RW	BOS	Marchand's playoff performance has us thirsting for more than his 41 regular season points last year.
144	Andrei	Markov	D	MON	Markov has played just 52 games the last two years due to multiple knee injuries.
145	Tobias	Enstrom	D	WPG	Enstrom outperformed this level last year, tallying 51 points.
146	Travis	Hamonic	D	NYI	Hamonic is a trendy sleeper in many circles - he's also a bet against Mark Streit's continued health.
147	Mikko	Koivu	C	MIN	Hooking up with Dany Heatley might give him a big boost.
148	Michael	Cammalleri	C	MON	Cammalleri has had two injury-shortened campaigns in a row.
149	Stephen	Weiss	C	FLA	Our first Panthers skater, Weiss has an upside of about 65 points.
150	Jason	Spezza	C	OTT	How the mighty have fallen.
151	Rene	Bourque	LW	CGY	Bourque can either carry you for weeks or disappear for weeks - you just don't know when.
152	Mike	Knuble	RW	WAS	Boring but steady.
153	Dustin	Penner	LW	LAK	Penner was a total bust after arriving from Edmonton at the trade deadline last year.
154	Semyon	Varlamov	G	COL	Can Varlamov stay healthy, and can the Avs lessen the number of shots they allow (31.8 per game last year)?
155	Rick	DiPietro	G	NYI	Under contract until the rapture, so you know he'll get his chances.
156	Kris	Versteeg	RW	FLA	Might be able to click with Weiss.
157	Martin	Erat	RW	NAS	Seemingly always available late in your draft.
158	Steve	Montador	D	CHI	Montador essentially replaces Brian Campbell on the Blackhawks' blue line.
159	Kevin	Shattenkirk	D	STL	43-point rookie season - now the Blues will look for him to be more proficient in his own end.
160	Mike	Smith	G	PHO	Competing with Jason LaBarbera to be the Coyotes' starting goalie.
161	Jonathan	Bernier	G	LAK	Bernier would immediately become a middle-of-the-pack goalie if either he or Quick were traded.
162	Evander	Kane	C	WPG	Will Kane take a big leap or just show incremental progress?
163	Derek	Roy	C	BUF	Missed all but one playoff game with a quad injury.
164	Kevin	Bieksa	D	VAN	With Ehrhoff leaving, Bieksa might be counted upon for more power play production this year.
165	Victor	Hedman	D	TAM	At some point in his career, Hedman will hit the 40-point plateau.
166	John-Michael	Liles	D	TOR	Liles will pile up the points, all while tearing apart your plus/minus.
167	Dennis	Wideman	D	WAS	The only question is how much power play time will Wideman get with Green and Carlson already in Washington.
168	Jordan	Eberle	RW	EDM	Eberle has 60-point potential, though that would require a big leap from his 43-point rookie season.
169	Chris	Kunitz	LW	PIT	The only thing keeping Kunitz from rating higher is his playing style, which often leads to injury.
170	Cory	Schneider	G	VAN	It's hard to dislodge Luongo, but Schneider has a huge ceiling if he ever got extended action between the pipes.
171	Matt	Moulson	LW	NYI	A lot of observers suggest the Islanders are a team on the rise - if true, Moulson will be worth more than this with a better plus/minus.
172	Brian	Gionta	RW	MON	A boring pick, but sometimes boring can pay the bills.
173	Jussi	Jokinen	LW	CAR	A major component of the Hurricanes' power play unit.
174	Al	Montoya	G	NYI	If the Islanders go strictly on performance, not tenure, Montoya could end up playing a lot.
175	Tuuka	Rask	G	BOS	It's hard to believe that two years ago Rask was the better goaltender between he and Thomas.
176	Cal	Clutterbuck	RW	MIN	Clutterbuck brings a little of everything, but doesn't excel in one particular area.
177	Cam	Fowler	D	ANA	Huge scoring upside - deserves to be a top-25 defenseman in non plus/minus leagues.
178	Dennis	Seidenberg	D	BOS	Seidenberg is another Bruin that shined in the playoffs.
179	James	Wisniewski	D	CLM	Cashed in on his career season - don't expect 51 points again.
180	Tomas	Kaberle	D	CAR	Kaberle was a bust in the playoffs - can he regain his mojo?
181	Marc	Staal	D	NYR	Staal has started to add more offensive components to his game.
182	Ian	White	D	DET	As the only right-handed shot among the primary Red Wings blueliners, White has some power play potential.
183	Matt	Cooke	RW	PIT	Not a beloved player, but he'll get you some points to go with the PIMs.
184	Michael	Grabner	RW	NYI	Somehow the Islanders were able to turn Grabner from a waiver claim into a 34-goal scorer.
185	Jakub	Voracek	RW	PHI	Could skate with Hartnell and Briere.
186	Andrei	Kostitsyn	LW	MON	Has been the poster child for unfulfilled potential - already talk about "coach problems."
187	Clarke	MacArthur	LW	TOR	Exploded in the early portion of the season - also provides a number of hits for leagues that use that stat.
188	Ty	Conklin	G	DET	Jimmy Howard went through tough stretches during the regular season - thus, Conklin has some upward mobility.
189	Anders	Lindback	G	NAS	If Rinne's contract becomes an issue, all of a sudden Lindback will step into a good situation.
190	Alexander	Steen	C	STL	Steen is the "Max Fisher" of hockey and the Blues are his Rushmore - he'll fill in any role in a pinch.
191	Patrice	Bergeron	C	BOS	Bergeron has really improved the defensive side of his game.
192	Mikael	Samuelsson	RW	VAN	Hoping to log plenty of ice time with the Sedins, at the least on the power play.
193	Ryan	Smyth	LW	EDM	Member emeritus on the "all-boring" team.
194	Jamie	McBain	D	CAR	Kaberle's arrival hurts him in the short-term, but eventually a primary power play spot will be his.
195	Teemu	Selanne	RW	ANA	At press time, Selanne hadn't yet decided whether he would return for one more year.
196	Derick	Brassard	C	CLM	Bumped off the Nash line because of the Jeff Carter trade.
197	Mathieu	Garon	G	TAM	Garon is a good hedge against Roloson's ability to stay healthy.
198	Jacob	Markstrom	G	FLA	Perhaps the best goalie prospect out there, though last season wasn't his best.
199	Michal	Neuvirth	G	WAS	We expect good things from Vokoun, but in case he flops, Neuvirth isn't a bad alternative.
200	Patrik	Berglund	C	STL	Berglund has been a trendy sleeper in some spaces - he rates lower here because there are just so many useful centers.